Lenny Von Dohlen

LENNY VON DOHLEN was born in Augusta, Georgia and raised in Texas. His ambition was to be a quarter horse racing jockey, but he grew too tall! Then the obsession switched to acting. "When I was twelve years old, I read all the plays I could get my hands on. I knew I wanted to go to NYC to work in the theater, so I rid myself of my Texas accent by listening to John Gielgud records. Then, after I got to NYC, the first film I was offered was to play the leader of a country & western band IN TEXAS. Ahh, irony."

He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin and majored in drama at Loretto Heights College. After taking part in drama productions during high school and college, Von Dohlen headed for New York at the age of twenty. Upon his arrival, the young actor met with the sort of good fortune most only dream of.

Within days, he had met manager Dale Davis, and begun attending auditions. "Dale works completely on instinct," he explains, "and I guess her feeling was right -- she immediately got me an audition for the part of a National Guardsman in the television film, 'Kent State'."

After working in regional theatre, another television film, and the off-Broadway hit "Cloud Nine", Von Dohlen made his motion picture debut in "Tender Mercies." He portrays a young musician who seeks out the advice of a former country-western singer portrayed by Robert Duvall, the role for which he was awarded the "Best Actor" Academy Award in 1984.

From the performance in his film debut in Tender Mercies (1983), he was given the leading role in MGM/UA's Electric Dreams (1984). Other starring roles quickly followed: American Playhouse: Under the Biltmore Clock (1984), Blind Vision(1992), Jennifer 8 (1992), Edward Zwick's Leaving Normal (1992), David Lynch's Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992), and the title role in Billy Galvin (1986), opposite Karl Malden.

In a career known for depth, diversity and mostly dramatic roles, Lenny Von Dohlen shook things up hilariously when he played one of the bumbling bad guys in Twentieth Century Fox's Home Alone 3 (1997). This came on the heels of a string of amazingly complex roles in highly regarded independent films such as Tollbooth (1994), Bird of Prey (1995), One Good Turn (1996), Entertaining Angels (1998), Cadillac (1997), and Breaking News(1994).

Lenny Von Dohlen has appeared in some of television's most highly regarded shows, such as Thirtysomething (1987), Picket Fences (1992), Chicago Hope (1994), The Lazarus Man (1996), The Pretender (1996), CSI: Miami (2002) and "ABC Afternoon Specials" (1972) Don't Touch, directed by Beau Bridges. However, he is probably best known for having created the agoraphobic orchid-growing "Harold Smith" in David Lynch's cutting-edge series Twin Peaks (1990). In 2001, he appeared in Masterpiece Theatre's presentation of Eudora Welty's "The Ponder Heart" on PBS.

Above all, the theater is his first love. Among the many productions he was in, here are just some of the highlights. In New York, he created roles in "Asian Shade", "The Team", "Twister", and "Vanishing Act" and "The Maderati", both by Richard Greenberg. For nine months, he starred in Carol Churchill's hit play "Cloud 9", directed by Tommy Tune, followed by The Roundabout Theatre Company's revival of "Desire Under The Elms", opposite Kathy Baker. He has starred in "Hamlet", "Romeo and Juliet", Joe Orton's "Loot", Wedekind's and Lanford Wilson's one-man play "A Poster of the Cosmos". On the West Coast, Mr. Von Dohlen has been seen in Wedekind's "Lulu" at the La Jolla Playhouse, "The Blue Room" at the Pasadena Playhouse, in "Theater District" at the Black Dahlia Theater, and at the Theater & Boston Court played "Voltaire" in the much-acclaimed World Premiere of Jean-Claude van Itallie's "Light" garnering the Los Angeles Critics Circle and Ovation Best Actor Award nominations. In 2011, he appeared again at Theater @ Boston Court in Jessica Kubzansky's production of Tennessee Willams' "Camino Real" playing Don Quixote, and, at GTC, he played Elyot Chase in Noël Coward's "Private Lives".

Mr. Von Dohlen recently wrapped a role in the upcoming indie comedy Sallywood, with Sally Kirkland, Jennifer Tilly, and Keith Carradine, which is in post-production [2022].

Lenny Von Dohlen died July 5, 2022, at his Los Angeles home after a long illness. Everyone that worked with him or knew him had nothing but good things to say about him.

His sister, Catherine Von Dohlen, wrote this on her Facebook page:

"The world lost a magnificent man on July 5.

Brother Len was passionate about everything and everyone. He was always leading; whether it be a riveting conversation, an artistic creation, or a trip to new places. He loved a good laugh.

He continues on his spiritual journey.

Living life full in his memory.💕"

Virginia Madsen wrote this on her official Facebook page:

"No. Not Miles. My sweet Lenny. I can’t process this. It’s a bad dream. I loved you. So very much. One of the most beautiful souls on earth. Eyes of sparkling blue I shall never forget and the sound of your voice would tame the Lion. The last time we met he said “we were just babies!” And we were. Your calming nature made me feel like I was walking on a cloud and when I was unsure, he would place my face in his hands and tell me how excellent I was... I played for you Dohlen. #electricdreams you live on - together in Electric Dreams. I shall pop the “champers” for you. What a time we had."

Lenny was aware of this Electric Dreams fansite and Facebook page and was kind enough to answer some of my questions for this site and contribute to the bio page that I created for him.

I still can't believe that he is gone.

We'll be together in Electric Dreams,

~Craig

Scene from "Tender Mercies" (1983) featuring Lenny Von Dohlen from C.A. Chicoine on Vimeo.

To find out the latest movies he is working on, visit Lenny Von Dohlen @ IMDb.

IMDb Mini Biography of Lenny Von Dohlen by Darlene Kaplan. Compiled, edited, and updated by C.A. Chicoine.

Sources: IMDb, Wikipedia, The official press information kit for Electric Dreams, June 1984, the Press Release from MicroFiche, Sept. 1984, and the man himself, Lenny Von Dohlen!